Valve-gear for explosive-engines.



"Vv-f4', i j Patented'oct. 23, |900.

H. A. BERTHEAU. VALVE GEAR FR XPLSIVE ENGINES.

(Application filed Jan. 14, 1898.)

2. 4 W, .J R .m O n l l m o en n (x M m. l O KLM 3 L h O T C L AWWA W- UNITED ASTATES PATENT OFFICE."

HENRIK AUGUST BERTHEAU, AOF STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN;

VALVE-G EAR FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 660,242, dated october 2e, V1900,

Application filed January 14, 1898. Serial No. 666,730. `@lo model.)

T a'IZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRIK AUGUST BER- THEAU, engineer, a subject of the King of Sweden and Norway, residing at Stockholm,

5 Sweden, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas or Petroleum Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in xo the art to which it appertains to make and use whereby the operation of tlltbr' can b`eV @hangedfrom e meerde we feux-cycle. ino.-

z tor, and vice-versa.

It has heretofore been the practice to use a fluid under pressure for starting hydrocarbon or like motivefluid motors, the starting Huid being stored in a receiver, so that at each starting the receiver has to be charged by means of a pump, compressed air being the fluid generally used. l

One of the objects of my invention lies in the provision of means whereby` after a first charging of the receiver for the starting fluid said receiver is kept charged by the motor, in tha-t products of combustion or waste gases, instead of being exhausted into the atmosphere, are in part forced into said receiver until the pressure therein is substantially equal to the explosive force of a charge of combustible vapor or gas, a pressure which is sucient to start the motor.

rovision of means whereby the operation of the motor may be changed from a two-cycle to a four-cycle motor, and vice versa.

That my invention may be fully understood I will describe the same in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which--v Figure l is a sectional fragmentary elevation, and Fig. 2 a top plan View, of so much of a vertical hydrocarbon-motor as will be 5o necessary to a full understanding of my improvements.

In the gures of the drawings, A indicates the power-cylinder, et the exhaust-valve, and b the inlet-pipe for the explosive compound connected with the vaporizer, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l as contained in a cylinder 13,) b2 being the loaded inlet-valve for said vaporizer, the movements of which valve are limited by a collar b on the valve-stem moving between suitable abutments, the load-4'. e., the stress of the spring acting on the valve b2-being so regulated as that said valve will open as soon as the pressure in the vaporizer is lower than the atmospheric pressure.

The parts described are of well-known co'n struction and arrangement, except that the stem a' of the exhaust-valve a projects some distance above the upper cylinder-head for purposes presently explained.

The explosive-chamber or upper end of the power-cylinder is in communication with one of the branches of a valve-casing C', whose other branch is connected by a pipe C with a storage vessel C2 for the starting fluid, the valve c in said casing O opening outwardly or from the power-cylinder and held to its seat by a spring c', the branch pipe O, leading to the storage vessel C2, being provided with a suitable cut-0E valve manipulated by a hand-wheel c2 or otherwise. The stem a of the exhaust-valve a has secured thereto a flanged sleeve a2, straddled by the forked end of a lever f, fulcrumed about midway of its length to a fixed part of the motor.

To the upper head of the power-cylinderA are secured two bearings k for a valve-controlling rod la, and in suitable bearings p is fulcrumed a bell-crank lever p, whose Vertical arm is held in contact with the proximate end of rod k by a spring p2. The horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever p is forked and straddles a lianged sleeve q, secured to the stem of the check-valve c, which stem projects through a suitable stuing-box from the end a sector-plate g2, provided on its under roo side with a suitable guide for the lever h and on its upper face with suitable indices for positioning said lever. To the rod d at a suitl,able point is secured a block n, whose upper do POWER PLANTS --ww'Au-v.. uuvu'luvu 3p una'. a'yu; ulull. LILCLUUL will always lie in line with the free end of lever f, whatever'may be the position of the vertical face of the block relatively to said lever, and said rod carries a radial arm m above the block fn. vAs shown in Fig. 1, the vertical face of block n,which faces the valvecontrolling rod k, is undulating, so as to form upper and lower projections e and e', respectively, and a corresponding depression between said projections and below the lower projection e', the block being in fact and per- .forming the function of a cam relatively to the rod la and of a lifter relatively to the lever f. A spring f', connecting the free arm of lever f with one of the bearings lo', tends to draw said arm down to hold the exhaustvalve a to its wardly.

The operation of the motor is as follows: The storage vessel C2 for the starting iiuid having been charged, say, with compressed air by means of a hand-pump and the stopeock in pipe O, leading fromsaid vessel, opened,the crank-shaft of the engine is turned to move the piston to the limit of its upstroke, the parts being in their respective pos itions shown in Fig. l. Upon further rotation of the shaft the piston, as well as the seat, saidvalve opening inrod d, moves downwardly. The roller k2 on rod k moving over projection e' on block n opens valvec through bell-crank lever p, ad- {mitting air under pressure into cylinder A above its piston. The latter is driven downwardly, while the rod d also continues its downward motion. As the'piston is about to reach j the limit of its downward motion the radial arm m on rod d impinges upon valve-stem a' and opens eXhaust-valvea to exhaust the g spent air. Under the momentum of the crank-shaft the piston moves upward again, as does also ,the rod d audits radial arm m, thereby allowing exhaust-valve a to close. As said piston is about to reach the limit of its upward motion the rod k is again acted upon by the projection c on block -n to open valve c, admitting a second charge of compressed air, driving the piston downward again, while the rod d is still moving upwardly. As the piston is about to reach the limit of its second downward motion the upper face of cam-block n impinges upon the free arm of lever f, lifting it against the stress of its 2 spring f' and opening the exhaust-valve a. The piston moves upward again and as it begins its downstroke the rod d also moves down, thereby releasing valve-lever f, while the projection e acts upon rod c to again open the valve c, so that the exhaust-valveal will be opened by the action of the radial arm m and the rod k alternately, according as rod d moves downwardly or upwardly, the

motor working as a two-cycle motor. As soon as the motor a acqulre simicient speed to enable 'the piston to compress a charge of explosive gas the lever h is shifted from the position 1 to the position 2, Fig. 2, thereby turning the rod d and block fit, so as to move the oawaee thereof out of reach of valvecontro ng rod 7o and the arm m out of reach of valve-spindle a', while the upper face of block n remains in line with the free arm of lever f. The motor is now working as a fourcycle motor. On the downstroke of the piston a charge of an explosive is drawn in through valve b2, which opens inwardly, said v charge being compressed on the upstroke of the piston and ignited, the piston is driven down, and as itis about to reach the limit of its motion in that direction and while the rod d is still moving upward the valve ct is opened through the lever f, after which the piston again moves down under momentum to draw in a charge of explosive gas, and so on. At every explosion of a charge a portion of the waste gases are forced through valve-casing C' and pipe C to the storage-cylinder, the load on the valve c in said casingi. e., the power exerted by the spring c' to hold said valve to its seat-bein g so regulated as to resist the compressing pressure, but yield to the explosive pressure. In this mannerthe fluid under pressure necessary to the starting of the engine is automatically stored at the expense of but a comparatively small portion of the power developed.

It is obvious that instead of connecting the/ valve-casing C directly with the power-cyhl inder it may be connected with pipe Z2', andl it is further obvious that instead of a hydro-i 4i carbon vapor and air other explosive gaseous,

=compounds may be used.

Having thus described my invention, wha

I claim 'as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a hydrocarbon or like motive-fluid enf gine, the combination with the cylinder, its

iexplosive-iiuid inlet, a valve organized to con- :trol gas under pressure, devices toactuate the same, andan exhaust-valve in the end of @the cylinder; of a rod revoluble on its axis,

Sa tappet thereon arranged to strike the exthe exhaust-valve, a cam on said rod arranged to operate the devices to actuate the valve to 4control gas under pressure and the lever, and means for rotating the rod to cause the said cam and tappet to run idle, substantially as @and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a hydrocarbon or like motive-tluid engine, the combination with the exhaust-valve ,stem and its operating-rod dhaving endwise and rotary motion in its bearings, the radial arm 'm and the cam-faced block n on said rod of the lever f connected with the aforesaid valve-stem and extending into the path of isaid cam-faced block and a lever h for turning the rod in its bearings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. f

3. In a hydrocarbon or like motive-huidenfgine, the combination with the valve-stems 01/ and q, the operating-rod d having endwise and rotary motion in its bearings and carryl' g the radial arm m and cam-faced block'n,

,rl v

I O o il) haust-valve, a lever also arranged to operate .l

motor, the combination with the power-cylinder having two passages leading from the combustion-cham ber of said cylinder, a valve in each of said passages opening respectively toward and from said chamber, the bellcrank lever 1J one arm of which is connected with the stem of the valve-opening from said combustion-chamber, the actuating-rod k connected with the other arm of said lever, the exhaust-valve a, and the lever f con nected with the stem of said valve; of the rod d carrying the radial arm m and the cama faced block n, adapted to actuate the aforesaid rod lo and lever f, and means for impart ing a partial rotation to said rod in opposite directions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature" in presence of two witnesses.

HENRIK AUGUST BER'IHEAU. Witnesses:

CARL P. GERELL, TH. WAURINSKY. 

